Spirited Away: The Return
by chickpeet
Summary: Oblivious to the mounting danger around her, Chihiro searches for her lost memories resulting from a horrific car crash. She finds her quiet life disrupted by the appearance of Haku who has arrived to prevent the spirit world from claiming her soul.
1. Chapter 1

"_Will I ever see you again?"_

"_Sure you will. Now go and don't look back."_

It was a promise.

So she reluctantly let go of his hand. His warm hand, he who had protected her, he who had risked everything for her; he had saved her in the end.

_Thank you, Haku._

Chihiro made her way steadily, yet hurriedly across the soft green plains, towards the opening of the dark tunnel. A strange sense of urgency plagued her, as if she did not quicken her pace, she would not be able to safely escape the boundaries of the spirit world that had imprisoned her and her family. Shortly, she caught a glimpse of her parents in the distance and emotion suddenly choked her, stealing her breath away. There were her parents, waiting for her, human and whole again. Safe.

Yet, behind her was Haku, her majestic white dragon, her lovely savior. Her hurried steps slowed until her feet had stopped moving altogether. Involuntarily, her head started to turn, but she caught herself at the last second.

"_Don't look back."_

She clenched her fists. Haku had always been right, and he had promised her that they would meet again. So she would listen to him, obey his words as she always had. It was how she had survived her time in the spirit world. She caught sight of her mother, waving her hand at her. The eleven year old gathered all her resolve and looked forward.

_Coming, mother._

Chihiro ambled over the last few stones before the open tunnel and latched onto her mother's arm. Immediately, warmth flooded her and she was suddenly content. Her parents were here, they were alive and human.

Although she had left Haku behind, they had shared an unforgettable adventure during her time in the spirit world. That time had passed. Surprisingly, for an eleven year old, she was deceptively mature. After having witnessed the things she had seen in the spirit world, there were much more things about the world that she came to understand. She was human, and she did not belong here, as Haku could not be with her. A sad smile graced her small lips. She accepted it with reluctance but understanding. Already, she knew that she would miss him dearly. She had her family back and it was time for them to move into her new home, something she had dreaded for so long. For some reason, she couldn't remember why she had harbored so much disdain towards moving. Now she could face the world with an open mind and welcoming arms.

Chihiro smiled gently. She had so much to thank him for.

The eleven year old was content for now to have her parents back and the normality of human life. As she and her parents exited the tunnel, Chihiro turned her head and peered into the darkness of the tunnel. The wind rustled around her, as if expressing its disapproval against her leaving. Her ponytail held firm with the sparkling purple band that her dear friends had woven for her. Behind her, her disgruntled parents grumbled over the mysteriously disheveled appearance of their car.

"Come on, Chihiro," her mother called.

Feeling a tad melancholy, but full of hope, Chihiro faced the tunnel. With one last glance at the gateway to the spirit world, 11 year old Chihiro said a silent goodbye.

_I will never forget you._

**.**

**.**

**.**

I wonder what would have happened if I looked back.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**6 years later**

Chihiro woke up tired and disoriented. Rubbing sleepily at her eyes, she sat up gingerly, mindful of the dull headache pounding at the back of her head. Her hand fumbled with the alarm clock as her fingers clumsily tried to click on the button to illuminate the clock in the darkness of the early morning.

**3:39 AM **

She sighed. It was the dreams again.

Always, she would dream about a tunnel. A dark, gaping tunnel that seemed to lead into nothing. But instead of being assaulted by feelings of foreboding and fear, she felt a strange pull and desire to step into the darkness. Perhaps there was a light at the end of a tunnel. Perhaps if she reached the light, she would also regain her memories.

The dreams had been plaguing her ever since that day she had woken up in the hospital, two years ago. Scared and confused, she had bolted upright in the hospital bed screaming, "My name is Chihiro!"

It was the only thing she remembered about herself. Everything else was gone. It was a product of trauma to the head. In fact, the doctors had told her, she was very lucky to have escaped death with only amnesia. They had marveled, really, over how she had survived at all. Her parents had not been so lucky. They had perished, tragically, in the same car crash that she had so miraculously survived.

Chihiro remembered nothing of it. She was just told that she was in a terrible car crash that claimed both her parents' lives. The hospital spared her the details when she choked out that she didn't want to know anything more.

She had no memories of her parents, her life before the car crash, nothing.

"My name is Chihiro," she said aloud.

Giving up on falling back asleep, as she never could after being awakened from that particular dream; she climbed out of bed, her right hand coming up over her night stand to grab her beloved purple hair tie.

"I am 17 years old."

Ambling clumsily over to the mirror, the young girl started pulling the messy strands of her hair back into her familiar ponytail.

"My favorite color is green."

Her reflection stared back at her from the mirror. She was plain looking, Chihiro deemed herself. Ordinary looking, brown hazelnut hair with eyes that matched. She did have a rather slender face, but her whole figure was slim as well. The fringe from her bangs grazed the top of her eyelids. She puffed a small breath of air and her fringe parted along the middle for a second and then resumed their original messy position over her forehead. Still, she found her appearance startling, as if she didn't expect herself to look this way. There was still a faint scar on the side of her cheek where scrap metal had torn into her flesh. Slender fingers traced the light indent.

"I like bangs."

She had fallen in the habit of reciting facts to herself. It was a way of calming herself when she felt panicked or agitated after a dream or when she felt she could not handle the emptiness inside of her head as well as her chest.

"I am an orphan."

She fiddled some more with her bangs. She would have to cut them, they were getting too long.

"Once you've known someone, you never really forget them."

She had heard this from somewhere. Hundreds and hundreds of times, she had repeated this worn out phrase to herself. She would stare at photos of her parents while chanting to herself. Sometimes, a memory would resurface, but she would feel uncomfortable. It was like she was watching her past on a screen, like it didn't belong to her. They were all so foreign.

"I will remember, someday," she told herself quietly. She didn't worry too much. The emptiness was bearable, for now at least.

But she could never shake off the feeling that she was forgetting something very important. Something very dear to her.

There was always the feeling of something missing, and the intense need to go looking for it.

"_Don't look back."_

Those three words, always ingrained into her mind.

**.**

**.**

**.**

What?

What am I looking for?

**.**

**.**

**.**

Haku stood straight and tall, solemn as he stared across the grassy plains. Here, the young river spirit had sent away Chihiro, six years ago. Dark, shoulder length hair caressed his elegant cheekbones as the wind rustled restlessly around him. It could taste his apprehension. Slender, long fingers clenched into tight fists.

He didn't understand; he had watched Chihiro's retreating back and never did she turn her head to look back. She had stopped, almost halfway through the border and his heart had caught in his throat. He had to consciously refrain himself from calling out to her. Only when she resumed walking forwards did he let out the breath he had been holding. If she had looked back, she would have been trapped in the spirit world forever. The court would have claimed her spirit as theirs and she would have never been freed from his world.

His handsome expression was strained as his emotions conflicted within him. As much as he missed Chihiro, she did not belong here. He valued her happiness and her safety so much more than his own. But still, her safety was endangered.

Two years ago, he felt two familiar presences enter the spirit world.

Involuntarily.

To his horror, he had recognized them as Chihiro's parents. With a pressing sense of foreboding, he had pushed back his fear to find the emotion replaced with anger. Why had the court decided to take Chihiro's parents?

His face turned hard. He prayed that Chihiro was taking it well; she was strong, but he knew she was also deceptively fragile. His expression turned pained when he recalled her tears as she wept for her parents who had been turned into pigs by Yubaba.

Infuriated by the turn of events, he had immediately shifted into his dragon form and arrived at the palace of the royal court, demanding their presence in the arrogant and cold manner that the bathhouse identified him with. Shortly after, the court had agreed to meet him, some amused, others annoyed with his abrupt and rude behavior.

"_Chihiro did not look back. She did not surrender her spirit and her parents' to us. Why did you take them?" he demanded, confused and outraged. _

"_They belong to our world," one elderly spirit said. "They existed on our realm's substance and tainted your bathhouse with their existence. They are ours to claim."_

"_They are human!" Haku retorted viciously, defending Chihiro's parents._

"_Humans die all the time. It was all a matter of arrangement," another elderly woman spirit spoke with a hint of boredom. _

"_You had no right," Haku said, provoked even further. Many spirits did not see human lives as any significance; there were so many of them that they felt they could arrange the numbers at their will. Haku had always found this notion repulsive, understanding that every single human life was significant in some way. Chihiro had taught him that with her unfailing loyalty and devotion to her parents._

"_Boy, this honorable court has debated over this subject for many years. We have pondered and argued and have come to the careful conclusion that those three humans lives are entitled to us by the laws of the universe. They are ours to add to the spirit world."_

"_The laws do not allow you to…," Haku's voice trailed off as all the color drained from his face, leaving his complexion even paler than before._

"_Three?" he asked, choking on the word after realizing what the court meant._

"_We have been unsuccessful so far in our efforts to retrieve the girl's spirit."_

_The river god immediately surged forwards, disregarding the royal guards that sprang into his path to block him from reaching the court._

"_You will not touch her," he hissed, venom laced in every word. Every muscle in his tightly sprung body tightened further, his reaction spurred by his growing fear for Chihiro's life and anger towards the court._

_The head of the court stood up and angrily pointed his finger at the dragon. _

"_Do not take that tone of voice with us, boy," the elder warned._

"_I will not let you take her," Haku said, his eyes narrowing in defiance. _

"_There is nothing you can do, dragon."_

_The young river god's fists clenched. "I will do everything in my power to protect her. You are wasting your time," he spat. Then, immediately, he turned and stormed out of the palace, leaving in his wake an irritated and offended court. Not knowing what to do, he had sped in his dragon form to Zeniba's dwelling._

"_The human world and spirit world have to be in harmony in order for the two to coexist," Zeniba explained to him, gently and sadly. "When Chihiro and her family crossed the boundary, they upset the harmony. After existing in our world, to go back upset the harmony even further instead of righting it. The court believes by claiming their lives, they are righting the balance and saving the two worlds. They are bound by the law to keep the harmony."_

"_Don't you dare take their side," Haku spat, turning away. "I don't accept it."_

"_Neither do I," Zeniba said, smiling. Haku regarded her with narrowed emerald eyes. _

_The old witch's smile smoothed out. She stared silently out the window of her humble cottage. "The hairband I gave her has been protecting her so far against the advances of the court. Unfortunately, it was not strong enough to extend that protection to her family," she said sadly._

_The lonesome spirit No face came over to hover by Zeniba. "Uh, uh," he muttered, distressed that the band he had helped to create could not protect Chihiro entirely. _

_Haku hesitated for a moment and then nodded slowly. "I need to help her," he said, silently begging her for help. Every bone in his body screamed at him to find Chihiro now and to spirit her away to somewhere safe. _

_Zeniba nodded as well. "I will do anything to help you help Chihiro. What did you have in mind?"_

_Haku shook his head, at loss of words. He had no idea how to help Chihiro._

_The old witch lifted a hand to her chin as she pondered over what help the two of them could be to Chihiro. _

"_The court took Chihiro's parents by manipulating events in the human world," she informed Haku. _

_The dragon ground his teeth together in anger. "Yes. They murdered them."_

"_You must go to the human world to protect her, Haku."_

_The river god turned to her in surprise. It had crossed his mind, but such a thing was surely impossible to do. He alone was not powerful enough. Unless the witch was suggesting that she had the power to send him to the other world. The young god stared at her, waiting for her to explain._

"_It's a spell I've been working on," Zeniba explained to him. "If cast correctly, it will successfully you give you a human body that can exist in Chihiro's world. You will be able to eat their food and come into physical contact with things."_

_Haku waited; there was bound to be risks that Zeniba had not explained. The old witch regarded him with wizened eyes and sighed tiredly. "Yes, there are risk," she said, reading his thoughts. "If I do not cast it correctly, your spirit will be lost forever in the space between this world and the human's world. You will lose your spirit, your entity, all your memories. Furthermore, I am unsure if my own powers enough to keep you in the human world. We would have to ask Yubaba for help."_

_The young spirit blanched. Ask Yubaba for help?_

_Zeniba chuckled at his expression. "Yubaba and I may have our differences, but if it's one thing that you've learned about her from your time under her control, you would know she will do anything to gain profit. Offer her the bathhouse back. She will be unable to resist."_

_Haku narrowed his eyes. Yes, now that he thought it over, the greedy Yubaba would be unable to decline his offer. Six years ago, along with releasing Haku, the conniving witch had been forced to hand over her position in the bathhouse to the young dragon. The enslaved workers in the bathhouse had been furious with her behavior towards Chihiro as well as themselves and they had all teamed up against her, backed by the dragon's support. Unable to do anything against the turn of events, she had reluctantly handed over her lease on the bathhouse to Haku. Haku had allowed her to take up residence in the bath house, if only because of Bou, who had become a dear friend to Chihiro. _

"_She may be tempted to betray me," Haku said mirthlessly, aware of the witch's grudge against him. He had forced her to give up her very source of wealth._

_Zeniba laughed. "Don't you worry about that. If she gets rid of you, the whole bathhouse would commit mutiny. She knows she needs you to keep them under control."_

_Haku nodded. "I will speak to her. When can you cast the spell?" _

_The witch shook her head. "There's something else. As you are a spirit, you need spirit energy to sustain yourself. Human food will sustain your human body but not your spirit. As a consequence, your spirit will lapse back into the spirit world for 17 minutes every day at sunset to replenish itself. During that time, your body will become a hollow shell. If something were to happen to your body during the time that you are gone…" Zeniba trailed off._

_No face moaned in dismay, turning away from the pair._

"_I won't have a body to return to," Haku finished solemnly. _

_Zeniba nodded, turning her massive head away. "Your spirit would be lost between the two worlds."_

_Haku considered this for a short moment. There was a possibility of helping Chihiro and no matter how risky it was, the young dragon felt inclined to go through it no matter what. Chihiro had freed him from Yubaba's clutches. She had healed his loneliness and stopped his aimless wandering. She had given him a home._

"_I still want to do it," he told Zeniba, with a small smile. "I owe Chihiro a lot," he said softly._

_Zeniba returned his smile and put a grandmotherly hand on his shoulder. Her twinkling eyes looked into his as she spoke gently, with much humor._

"_Oh dear child, I think this is much more than just repaying a debt."_

Haku frowned. What had Zeniba meant by that?

The wind around him moved again, picking up its pace. His beautiful emerald eyes closed. The twin witches would cast the spell on him tonight. Uncertainty clouded his mind as all the things that could go wrong with the spell flashed through his head. The notion of wandering again, forever lost without knowing where to go, frightened him.

Hazelnut eyes and a sullen face flashed through his memories. Without meaning to, Haku smirked as he remembered the spoiled brat that had stumbled through the gateway to the spirit world, effectively disrupting and saving his life. As he thought of the spirited and lively Chihiro, the thought of her lying silent and still in death shook him.

Haku realized his fear for Chihiro's safety far outweighed his fear of losing his spirit. Emerald eyes opened. Grim determination was etched into every feature of his handsome face. Resolve colored his eyes.

Silently, he prayed that all would go well. He pushed all thoughts of failure from his mind and focused only on his memory of Chihiro's smiling face. With one more glance at the green rolling hills that separated him from Chihiro, he shifted into his dragon form and flew away towards Zeniba's humble cottage.

The wind tumbled and danced restlessly through the soft strands of grass after his departure, as if mourning his absence.


	2. Chapter 2

Haku felt all the blood drain from his face as Zeniba described to him the sensations he would experience as she sent him to the human world. There would be a lot of pain. Burning. His spirit would be ripped into millions of little bitty pieces and then painfully stitched back together into a human body. Yubaba grinned wickedly as she watched the expression on Haku's face change as Zeniba informed him of the little snag the twin witches had come across in designing the spell.

"You cannot succumb to the pain. If you lose the will to separate from your soul, I will be unable to send you to Chihiro. Furthermore, you will be unable to return to your soul if you have already partly detached from it."

Haku swallowed thickly and clenched his fists.

"I'm so sorry Haku, there's nothing I can do to prevent it. Physically tearing your soul apart from your spirit entity will be extremely painful. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Haku squared his jaw and fought to maintain a cool expression, trying his best to ignore the cackling Yubaba in his peripheral vision. "There's no other way to help Chihiro, is there?"

Zeniba shook her large head slowly.

"Then there's no need to apologize. I'm willing to do this," Haku said solemnly. Yubaba paused in her delighted giggling to regard him with an unidentifiable expression. The silly grin slipped off her face, replaced with a heavy frown as she regarded the river spirit.

"All this effort for one human girl? She's still going to die." she mused, her words void of any concern for the human she had enslaved years ago.

Haku's head snapped towards her, emerald eyes hard and angry. "I didn't ask for your opinion, Yubaba," he said sharply.

"Well you'll have it," Yubaba snapped back. She wasn't going to go along with this quietly, not after Haku had taken her beloved bathhouse from her. Even if he was returning it to her, she wanted to express her contempt. She wanted to point out his stupidity.

"You could potentially lose yourself. Did you ever think of the repercussions? What will happen to the balance in the spirit world if you never return? Either way, you're just further upsetting the balance instead of fixing it," she said scathingly to the angry river god.

"I'm not trying to fix it!" Haku growled, taking two long strides to stand in front of the witch. After six years, he had grown marginally in height and now towered over Yubaba. She was not fazed and only returned his heated glare with equal fervor.

"I'm trying to save Chihiro," he said, his fingers balling up into tight fists as he resisted the urge to cast a rather nasty spell on the unscrupulous witch. Her words replayed themselves in the back of his mind and he glared harder to conceal his growing concerns. He had not let himself think of the consequences if the spell should fail. It terrified him but the peril Chihiro was in terrified him more.

"Do you want your bathhouse or not, witch?" he asked.

Yubaba remained glaring at him for a few more seconds and then turned around muttering silently under her breath. Blasted, spoiled, arrogant river spirit.

"Stand over there," she barked as Zeniba came over to take her place beside her. Yubaba pointed to the space in front of the twin witches where they had drawn intricate patterns on the wooden floor. Zeniba patted him gently on the shoulder before quietly wishing him good luck. "I'll keep Yubaba in check," she promised him with little humor.

Haku nodded his thanks and turned his attention to the patterns on the floor. They formed a circle with their characters and lines. Violently pushing back his growing apprehension, Haku took a deep breath and stepped into the ominous circle on the ground.

The twin witches joined hands and Zeniba glanced once at Haku before casting her eyes down. Both of the ancient spirits closed their eyes and muttered their respective incantation, their voices and words blending and mixing together with the wind that had suddenly found its way into Zeniba's humble abode. Haku could not pick out any of the words and the wind had increased in intensity, shrieking unpleasantly in his ear. He forced back the shudder that rippled throughout his body, forcing his muscles to lock and tense in anticipation and slight apprehension.

He frowned as an unpleasant pins and needles sensation began to assault him. His frown quickly contorted into a grimace as the feeling intensified, the needles beginning to grow in number and intensity. To his embarrassment, he gasped as all the breath was knocked out of his body. Immediately, he was paralyzed and he could do nothing as his knees buckled and his body tumbled towards the ground. He blinked rapidly and tried to focus on something, anything to distract him from the uncomfortable sensations his body was feeling.

_Think about Chihiro._

The sensation went away and he blinked. His eyes looked over to Zeniba, brow furrowing. She was extending her hand towards her twin sister. After a moment of hesitation, Yubaba held hers out as well. Their hands met.

The pain that he felt next was unbearable. Unable to control himself, he let out a roar of pain as his body contorted viciously on the floor. He thought back to when he had stolen Zeniba's seal; the pain then was nonexistent compared to this. He snapped his eyes shut. It was as if every atom of his body was being torn apart and heated into molten liquid.

_Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up_, he chanted to himself.

He heard a deafening roaring sound and he clapped his hands to his ear, curling into a ball on the floor. He didn't care about appearances at this point; he just wanted the pain to go away. He ground his teeth furiously as he thought about how he was going to _murder_ Yubaba when he got back.

_If I get back._

Haku wondered if the spell shouldn't have finished by now. He had been writhing in pain for a while now and he was starting to feel light-headed.

Tired.

_Fight it._

He was getting very tired. His muscles had already relaxed, past exhausted from contracting in pain this entire time. He tried to force open his eyes but they remained stubbornly shut. The roaring was getting louder and he imagined his head being split open by the pressure. There was a soft haze that started to invade his mind, something he had experienced years ago. He was losing.

_NO!_

"My name…is Haku," he forced out through his clenched teeth, desperate to maintain his identity through the seemingly endless sea of pain.

The roaring continued. It engulfed him and took him captive and he could not hear his own voice above the noise. He couldn't even organize his own thoughts.

_How much longer…can I last?_

And then there was darkness.

**..**

**..**

"_Haku."_

Emerald eyes snapped open.

**..**

**..**

Chihiro cocked her head to the side as she tried to get a better look at the purple hair tie currently holding her hair up.

Was it just her imagination, or did it just _glow_?

Her hand came up to poke curiously at the band. Nothing happened. She furrowed her brow, questioning her lucidity. Her fingers wrapped themselves around the band to slip it out of her hair. Her hand gave a small tug, and immediately pulled back, releasing the band.

"Ow!" she exclaimed quietly.

The thing had shocked her!

She stood still for a moment, wondering if she was finally succumbing to the side effects of not getting enough sleep. Hazel eyes blinked a few times as she brought her hand up to cover her forehead.

No temperature.

She frowned. Perhaps she should get back in bed and just rest until it was time for her to leave for school. Chihiro nodded softly to herself in the mirror and started to turn towards her bed, but a spark of light made her ricochet back into her previous position, facing the mirror.

Slowly, she turned her head to the right. Her eyes widened.

The hairband was glowing again.

Outside in the distance, the roar of the train resounded throughout the early morning.

Chihiro grasped the cabinet with both her hands, drawing closer to the mirror. She could see it so clearly now, her hair tie was now a glistening white band around her hair. She held back a gasp and stared in wonder.

As she watched the hair tie glisten and shimmer in the dark, something else caught her eye. This time, a loud gasp escaped her as she swung around swiftly and backed up against the cabinet.

There was a man on her bed, and he was glowing.

The train sounded its horn once again.

Struck immobile, Chihiro stared with wide hazel eyes as she struggled to breathe properly. She had just about recollected herself and prepared to make a dash for the phone when the man groaned.

"_My name…is Haku."_

Chihiro stiffened. The voice was soft and deep. It was soothing, despite the fact that this man looked like he was very much in pain. She took a half step towards him and stopped herself.

She watched, not daring to breathe, as the man seemed to struggle with an invisible force on her bed. He didn't seem to notice her presence at all; his eyes were tightly clamped closed. She took another step towards him and when he didn't uncurl from the fetal position on her bed, she took one last step to stand nervously before him.

A half-strangled cry came from his lips and she flinched.

This man was in incredible pain.

Her brain was screaming at her to run away, to call the police, anything but approach the strange, glowing man. But her hand came up on its own accord and rested itself carefully on the man's shoulder.

He trembled under her touch as another soft cry escaped his lips. Chihiro's gaze softened. Not quite understanding what she was doing or why she was doing it; she leaned down and called softly to the man.

"_Haku."_

Emerald eyes snapped open and met hazel.

She watched in quiet fascination as the eerie glow about him faded until all the light had disappeared. It was then that she realized she was alone, in the dark, with a very strange man. She gulped audibly and started to retreat when something shot out and grabbed her wrist.

Chihiro's mouth opened to scream, and then abruptly closed when the man spoke her name.

"Chihiro."

Her eyes widened and swiveled wildly around as she tried to adjust to the darkness. Her wrist jerked in her captor's hold, but the hand around her wrist only tightened.

As the light from the moon started to fill her dark room once again, she could finally set her eyes on the strange man that had arrived seemingly from out of nowhere.

Chihiro swallowed thickly, pulse quickening against her will as she realized that this man had very beautiful features.

He was now standing; standing very close to her, his hand latched onto her wrist.

His nose was aristocratic and his eyelashes were almost feminine in its length. The man's cheekbones were so sharp that she felt she could cut herself on them if she touched his face. But was most striking about the man was his eyes. A deep, dazzling emerald that looked like it contained the sea behind them. Her gaze was fixed on his eyes and a fleeting thought of drowning passed her mind.

Chihiro blinked and forced herself to think rationally. She gave another experimental tug on her wrist and to her surprise; the man let go, his eyes never leaving hers.

"How did you know my name is Chihiro?" she asked, voice soft and hesitant. As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a sharp prick at the back of her mind. She had a faint feeling that she had said those same words before.

At this, the man visibly stiffened and she took an unconscious step back. His sharp eyes did not miss the movement and he seemed to physically flinch from her action. She stood, frozen, as the man closed his eyes. When they opened, they were soft.

When he spoke, this time with no pain staining his voice, she trembled. His words shook her and his voice, so soft and deep. There was something familiar in his voice that made her wonder if she had met this man before. And of course, his explanation.

"I have known you since you were very small."


End file.
